(August 17, 2024) In Liverpool, a 10-year-old Indian-origin schoolgirl from northwest London has altered the record books of chess. Bodhana Sivanandan defeated 60-year-old grandmaster Pete Wells in the final round of the 2025 British Chess Championships, becoming the youngest female player ever to beat a grandmaster. At just ten years, five months, and three days, her achievement has surpassed the milestone set by American prodigy Carissa Yip in 2019.
Bodhana had been rising steadily since the time she was six, but the past twelve months have been exceptional. In November 2024, she won the Girls Under-18 category of the UK Chess Challenge and soon after secured the title of Woman FIDE Master. By July 2025, she became the youngest player to achieve a Woman Grandmaster norm, surpassing Hou Yifan’s record set at eleven. And now, her latest feat has made her the youngest girl in history to beat a grandmaster. While earning coveted titles, the prodigy is rewriting timelines in the game of chess.
From lockdown pastime to world stage
Bodhana’s rendezvous with chess did not begin in the hushed halls of chess clubs or elite training camps, but during the 2020 lockdown, when the world was at a standstill. A discarded chessboard from a family friend became her unlikely entry point into the game. The casual curiosity revealed a rare instinct for strategy, setting her on a path that would transform a pastime into a pursuit of mastery.
Her father, Sivanandan Velayutham, recalled with amusement, “Accidentally she started chess.” Yet what began as casual curiosity soon revealed itself as extraordinary talent. By the age of five, she was not only playing but demonstrating the kind of instinct and calculation that seasoned players take years to refine.
Within 15 months, she had already made a mark on the European stage. In March 2022, she clinched silver medals in both the Rapid and Blitz European under-eight tournaments, becoming the world number one blitz player in her age group with a commanding lead of 322 FIDE points. English chess veteran Leonard Barden did not mince words in his description, and said, “she was exceptional.”
Extraordinary firsts
The pace of her ascent was relentless. By the age of seven, Bodhana had achieved a feat that seemed almost implausible, winning all 24 games at the European Schools under-eight championship in Rhodes, bagging three gold medals. Later that year, she stood tall against players far older, earning wins and draws in the British Chess Championships, including a victory over the reigning under-12 champion.
The year 2023 proved to be transformative. At just eight, she not only won the World Youth Championship, which was England’s first in 25 years, but also defeated former British champion Peter Lee in an exhibition match. International Master Lawrence Trent captured the mood of the chess community with his viral observation: “The maturity of her play, her sublime touch—it’s truly breathtaking. I have no doubt she will be England’s greatest player and most likely one of the greatest the game has ever seen.”
Her calendar that year was punctuated with international accolades. In Zagreb, at the European Rapid and Blitz Chess Championship, she battled through a field of 555 players, including nearly 50 grandmasters and emerged with the award for best women’s player. In one standout moment, she bested Lorin D’Costa, coach of the England women’s team, underlining her ability to unsettle not just peers but seasoned professionals.
Recognition beyond the chessboard
Her rise has not gone unnoticed beyond the chess fraternity. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had invited her to 10 Downing Street, where she played a friendly game against him. Though she was already a Woman Candidate Master by then, her attitude remained refreshingly simple: “I always try my best to win. Sometimes it happens, and sometimes it doesn’t.”
Her school life in Harrow remains equally unpretentious. When she was grade four student at St John Fisher Primary School two years back, Bodhana once remarked with a smile that she was not allowed into her school’s chess club because it was reserved for sixth graders. When asked how she might fare if admitted, her reply was understated but telling: “I think I would probably win.”
Role of family and community
Behind every prodigy lies a web of support. For Bodhana, her Tamil heritage and close-knit family have been central. Her father’s decision to connect her with the English Chess Federation and local enthusiasts gave her the environment she needed to flourish. The chess community, known for its rigour, welcomed her warmly, guiding her through competitions and sharpening her skills against players of all levels.
The United Kingdom itself has been making strategic investments to nurture talent like hers. In 2023, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport announced a £500,000 funding package for the English Chess Federation, earmarked for coaching, training camps, and computer-assisted analysis. While such programs benefit a range of players, it is clear that Bodhana stands at the forefront of the new generation that these initiatives aim to cultivate.
Breaking barriers at the Olympiad
In July 2024, at just nine years old, Bodhana was selected for England’s women’s team for the 45th Chess Olympiad in Budapest. This selection made her the youngest player in history to represent England at a full national team level across any sport.
Though her performance was mixed with an opening win followed by losses and draws, it was a baptism of fire at the highest level. Competing against seasoned professionals on such a global stage added depth to her experience and showed the resilience required to transition from prodigy to professional.
Shattering records
Her 2025 victory over grandmaster Pete Wells has not only earned her the coveted Woman International Master title but also positioned her as a frontrunner for future grandmaster status. Just weeks earlier, she had become the youngest player to achieve a Woman Grandmaster norm, a record that had stood since Hou Yifan accomplished the same at 11 years old in 2005.
A rising star
Chess is often described as a mirror of life, demanding foresight, resilience, and the courage to take risks. Bodhana Sivanandan embodies these qualities, not just for her age group but for the entire chess fraternity.
Her rise comes at a moment when chess is experiencing renewed global interest, driven by streaming platforms, online tournaments, and popular culture. To have a young girl of Indian-Tamil heritage in London at the center of this resurgence signals not only diversity but also the democratization of a game once seen as inaccessible to many.
As one of her mentors noted, the most striking aspect of her play is not just tactical brilliance but the maturity of decision-making, and an ability to navigate complexity with clarity. For a child who stumbled into chess “by accident,” her moves now ripple across the global stage.
As she continues to balance school, family life, and international tournaments, Bodhana Sivanandan remains grounded, finding joy in the simple movement of pieces across the board. In her own words, she loves chess because “it helps me to recognise patterns, focus my attention, and learn how to strategise.”
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